Closed irrigation and urinary drainage system apparatus

ABSTRACT

A closed irrigation and urinary drainage system apparatus having a catheter means for removing fluids from a patient and a drainage inlet tube which may be connected or disconnected from the catheter means by a hinged connector means for transferring such fluids into a distensible collection bag having an outlet tube for emptying it. The hinged connector means includes an upstream hollow socket portion insertable into the catheter means and a downstream adapter portion insertable into the drainage inlet tube and attached by a hinge means to the upstream portion. The system may be closed for drainage or opened to permit access for irrigation by swingably joining or separating the two portions of the connector means which, when joined, are held in fixed and sealed relationship by interior interlocking ring and groove means.

United States Paten 1191 1111 3,731,684

Spiegel 1 1 May 8, 1973 54 CLOSED IRRIGATION AND URINARY 3,604,4209/1971 Vaillancourt ..12s 275 DRAINAGE SYSTEM APPAR S 3,640,552 2/1972Demler et al ..285/DIG. 22

[75] Inventor? Ronald E. Spiegel, Chicago, 111.

[7 3] Assignee: CencdlVIediEl manh'sa pn Corporation, Chicago, Ill. [22]Filed: Apr. 8, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 132,421

[52] US. ..128/275, 128/247, 285/D1G. 22, 285/319 51 1111. c1. ..A Ifs34 [58] Field of Search. .128/275-278, 295, 247, DIG. 24; 285/23, 260,283, 319, 423, DIG. 22

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,100,058 11/1937 McGrady..285/283 2,098,423 11/1937 Kennedy ..285/Z83 3,371,897 3/1968 Serany,Jr. et al.. ..l28/275 3,394,954 7/1968 Sarns ..285/3l9 3,478,743 11/1969Ericson ..l28/275 3,513,849 5/1970 Vaillancourt et a1. ...128/350 R3,575,170 4/1971 Clark ..l28/275 Primary Examiner-Charles F. RosenbaumAttorney-R0bert E. Wagner ABSTRACT A closed irrigation and urinarydrainage system apparatus having a catheter means for removing fluidsfrom a patient and a drainage inlet tube which may be connected ordisconnected from the catheter means by a hinged connector means fortransferring such fluids into a distensible collection bag having anoutlet tube for emptying it. The hinged connector means includes anupstream hollow socket portion insertable into the catheter means and adownstream adapter portion insertable into the drainage inlet tube andattached by a hinge means to the upstream portion. The system may beclosed for drainage or opened to permit access for irrigation byswingably joining or separating the two portions of the connector meanswhich, when joined, are held in fixed and sealed relationship byinterior interlocking ring and groove means.

7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDKAY 81m INVENTOR RONALD E. SP/EGELATT'X CLOSED IRRIGATION AND URINARY DRAINAGE SYSTEM APPARATUS Thisinvention relates to an irrigation and urinary drainage system apparatushaving a hinged connector means interposed between the catheter anddrainage inlet tube which permits the system to be closed or openedwithout disconnecting any of its elements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Typical elements for closed irrigation andurinary drainage system apparatus in use today include variouscommercial types of flexible tube catheters for insertion into thepatient and removal of fluids from the patient, and a drainage inlettube connected to such a catheter, for transferring fluids removed bythe catheter into a distensible collection bag which contains and storessuch fluid and which may be emptied by an outlet tube at its bottom. Theconnection between the drainage inlet tube and the catheter is presentlyaccomplished by either a catheter adapter which consists of afrusto-conical tip inserted over the upstream end of the drainage inlettube and then inserted into the downstream end of the flexible cathetertube, or a right angle adapter such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No.3,513,849 to Vaillancourt et al.

In the operation of irrigation and closed urinary drainage systems,however, it is often desirable to have selective and easy access to thesystem to insert irrigating fluid or to withdraw samples at any desiredtime. A system employing the catheter adapter tip as a connector hasseveral disadvantages in this regard. First, removal of the semi-rigidtip from the flexible rubber catheter tubing requires use of a pullingand twisting motion and separation is often so abrupt and violent thatnot only is there a danger of accidentally pulling on the catheteritself and causing discomfort or even trauma to the patient but also agreat possibility of spilling fluid. Moreover, once separation has beenaccomplished, the catheter adapter tip must be capped before it is setaside, in order to prevent fluid remaining in the inlet tube from beingdischarged through the catheter tip adapter should the inlet tube belaid down at an elevation below that of the fluid contained within thetube. Such capping is also necessary to prevent contamination of thecatheter tip adapter by foreign bodies which it may come in contact withwhen set aside. If the tip is contaminated, bacteria could be easilypropagated through the catheter by backflow of the fluid.

Another disadvantage of this type of connector is that such catheteradapter tip caps are usually manufactured in conjunction with a pluginsertable into the downstream end of the catheter itself to preventdischarge while removing the catheter tip adapter cap. Such units aresold with a plug placed inside the tip adapter cap, the open end of thecap being closed by a plastic sealer cap. These components are onlyusable once unless sterilized and are easily misplaced because of theirsmall size.

Finally, reconnection of the system requires removal of the catheter tipadapter cap and the catheter plug and reinsertion of the catheteradapter tip into the catheter. This operation not only involves spillingof fluid but also requires unavoidable touching of the interior surfacesof the system by the attendant in order to secure a good connection.

Thus, the significant problems with this type of catheter adapter tiphave been that the number of components and the necessity for completedisconnection of the system to permit sampling or irrigation and removalof part of the system from the area adjacent the catheter have increasedthe possibility of contamination both within the catheter tube openingitself and on the surface of the catheter tip, such contamination oftenresulting in the introduction of foreign bacteria into interior parts ofthe body such as the bladder.

The right angle catheter adapter shown in the patent to Vaillancourt etal would appear to constitute an improvement over the widely usedcatheter adapter tip described above. However, it has the definitedisadvantage of having a rather unwieldy right angle configuration whichnot only could act to impede the flow of fluid from the catheter intothe discharge inlet tube but also is difficult to manufacture because itrequires molding of one piece of material having an interior hollowsection with two right angle bends and a removable cap. Such aconstruction is difficult and expensive to manufacture.

The Vaillancourt et al. adapter also has the disadvantage that when thesystem is opened to permit introduction of a syringe for irrigation, theadapter, since it is rigid, holds the inlet tube and the catheter at thesame relative positions they are in during closed flow. Thus, the twoelements cannot be maneuvered with respect to each other and, dependingupon the position that the adapter is held in and depending upon thetime required for the syringe to be inserted, fluid contained l ineither the inlet tube or the catheter will either spill out of thesyringe opening or will flow back into the patient through the catheter.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention includes a closed irrigationand urinary drainage system apparatus for removing fluids from a patientor providing at any desired time for irrigation or aspiration throughthe same system, having hinged connector means interposed between aconventional flexible tube catheter and a drainage inlet tube connectedto a distensible collection bag and outlet means. The dual purpose ofthis system is accomplished through use of a novel connector meanshaving an upstream hollow socket portion insertable into the downstreamor proximal end of the catheter and a downstream hollow adapter portion,one end of which is insertable into the upstream end of the dischargeinlet tube, the opposite or plug end being insertable into the hollowsocket portion of the connector means. The hollow socket portion and theadapter portion of the connector means are attached to each other by ahinge means which allows the two portions to be swingably joined andseparated.

The upstream hollow socket portion of the connector means has anexterior shell of frusto-conical configuration having a series of ribsdisposed about its circumference. Such a configuration allows it to beeasily inserted into the proximal end of the catheter and the ribsprovide for a securely fixed and fluid-tight seal between the upstreamsocket portion and the catheter.

The plug end of the hollow adapter portion of the connector means isformed in a shape similar to that of the interior of the hollow socketportion and has disposed about its circumference one or more raised ribswhich correspond with and are located in a similar position to depressedgrooves disposed about the interior circumference of the hollow socketportion. When the adapter portion is swung into the socket portion onthe hinge connecting the two, the raised rings lock into the depressedgrooves, holding the two portions in fixed and sealed relationship.

In the preferred method of construction, the socket portion has anannular flange located at its downstream end and the adapter portion hasan annular flange disposed about its middle, the two flanges beingadjacent to one another when the plug end of the adapter portion issecurely locked into the socket portion. The unique construction of thisconnector means offers a closed urinary drainage and irrigation systemwith several distinct advantages over the present system.

First, because of the snap-lock hinge connector means, it is much easierand more convenient to break into this system to permit sampling orirrigation and aspiration than it was in previous systems. No twistingis required to separate the socket portion and the adapter portion ofthe connector means and no sudden or violent jerks result. The portionsare merely unsnapped. This invention permits the drainage system to beopened without requiring a complete separation of the elements of thesystem.

In addition, since the portions of the connector means are attached by ahinge means, the attending personnel will never have to place the end ofthe discharge inlet tube on the bed or nearby table and will not have tobother with protecting the catheter adapter tip from contamination orworry about leaking fluid since the plug end of the adapter portion ofthis connector means is always in view and is always held away fromcontaminating contact with foreign bodies. Furthermore, the flangeportions of the preferred construction of this invention project outfrom the exterior surfaces of the connector and serve to shield theareas of vital contact which are most susceptible of contamination bothfrom contact by those touching the connector means or from side contact.

Another advantage of this connector means is that it may be molded inone piece which performs the same function with a greater degree ofefficiency and sterility than conventional catheter adapter tips whichrequire protective caps and plugs, which are in themselves easy to loseor contaminate.

Moreover, since this invention provides, when both portions are joinedin locked position, straight-line flow from the catheter to the inlettube, there is not the possibility of impeding flow as is present in aright angle type of connector. Furthermore, when the portions of thisconnector are swung back in disconnected position, the flow, unlike thatin the right angle type of adapter, is completely broken and both thecatheter and inlet tube may be positioned with respect to each other sothat the fluid neither spills on the surrounding area nor flows backinto the patient.

Finally, since the connector means is molded out of one piece and in astraight line, it is less expensive to manufacture than the presentconnectors or catheter adapters.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a closedirrigation and urinary drainage system apparatus which providesselective access to the system to insert fluid or withdraw samples atany desired time.

It is another object of this invention to provide a closed irrigationand urinary drainage system apparatus which permits intermittentirrigation and aspiration whenever desired without completely separatingany of the elements providing the drainage path.

It is a further object of this invention to provide, in such a closedirrigation and urinary drainage system apparatus a hinged connectormeans interposed between the catheter and drainage inlet tube whichallows the catheter and drainage inlet tube to be disconnected andswingably separated without twisting or jerking.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide, in a closedirrigation and urinary drainage system apparatus, a connector meanshaving a one piece molded construction in which all components arepresent and permanently attached.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a closedirrigation and urinary drainage system apparatus having a connectormeans of one piece construction which permits easy assembly of theelements of this system.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a closed irrigationand urinary drainage system apparatus having a connector means whichprovides in joined position for straight-through flow of the fluids inthe system.

It is also a further object of this invention to provide a closedirrigation and urinary drainage system apparatus having a connectormeans which permits the elements of the system to be disconnectedwithout being subject to contamination by contact with foreign bodies.

These and other important objects of this invention will become apparentfrom the following description taken in conjunction with the drawingsillustrating a preferred embodiment wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view showing the closed irrigation andurinary drainage system apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view parallel to the direction of flow takenthrough the hinged connector means interposed in closed position betweenthe catheter and drainage inlet tube of the closed irrigation andurinary drainage system apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a free body of the hinged connector means of theclosed irrigation and urinary drainage system apparatus; and

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the hinged connector means of theclosed irrigation and urinary drainage system apparatus in open ordisconnected position as taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, there isshown the closed irrigation and urinary drainage system apparatus 10having a conventional catheter 38 including a balloon-type inflatabledistal end 39, which is insertable into the patient, and a proximal ordownstream end 37.

The catheter 38 is connected to a drainage inlet tube 26 by a hingedcatheter connector means 40 interposed between the proximal end 37 ofthe catheter 38 and the upstream end of the drainage inlet tube 26.

The drainage inlet tube 26, in turn, is in communication with adistensible collection bag 12 through a medial drip chamber 28 disposedon the handle 14 of the distensible collection bag 12. The medial dripchamber 28 assures proper uniform flow of fluid into the distensible bag12 through discharge tube 30 at its downstream end which is insertedinto bag 12 through opening 32 in bag 12. An outlet tube 16 at the lowerend of distensible collection bag 12 permits emptying of the contents ofthe bag 12 whenever desired. The outlet tube 16 is in communication withthe interior of the distensible collection bag 12 through the outlet bagopening 22 and has at its downstream end an outlet valve 18 controllingthe flow of fluid out of the outlet tube 16.

The inlet and outlet openings 32 and 22, respectively, in thedistensible collection bag 12 are hermetically sealed, and outlet tube16, when not in use, may be held in an upright position by outlet tubeholder 20. The distensible collection bag 12 may be also provided withan air filter 36 as shown in FIG. 1.

The catheter 38 is conventionally constructed of a flexible and soft butimpervious material such as rubber. The drainage inlet tube 26 and theoutlet tube 16 may be constructed of any flexible, impervious materialsuch as plastic. The distensible collection bag 12 may be constructed ofany thin, flexible, impervious material, preferably transparent, such asplastic.

The hinged catheter connector means 40 which provides for the uniqueoperation of this closed irrigation and urinary drainage systemapparatus is shown in more detail in FIG. 2. The connector means 40 isshown in closed position and includes an upstream hollow socket portion42 having a frusto-conical exterior shell 44 with a series of raisedribs 46 disposed about its exterior circumference. This hollow socketportion 42 is inserted into the downstream or proximal end 37 ofcatheter 38.

Hollow socket portion 42 is connected by hinge means 52 to downstreamhollow adapter portion 48 of connector means 40. In the preferredconnection shown in FIG. 2, hinge means 52 is attached at its one end toan annular flange 43 disposed at the downstream end of hollow socketportion 42, and is attached at its opposite end to an annular flange 45disposed at the middle of hollow adapter portion 48.

The downstream hollow adapter portion 48 includes a cylindrical drainageinlet tube adapter end 50, which is insertable into the upstream end ofdrainage inlet tube 26, and a hollow plug end 49, which is insertableinto the hollow socket portion 42 of catheter connector means 40, tocomplete the connection between catheter 38 and drainage inlet tube 26.Hollow plug end 49 is similar in exterior configuration to the interiorconfiguration of hollow socket portion 42, and has disposed about itsexterior circumference at least one raised ring means 56 whichcorresponds to depressed groove means 58 disposed about the interiorcircumference of hollow socket portion 42. When downstream hollowadapter 48 is swingably joined to upstream hollow socket portion 42,raised ring means 56 snap-lock into depressed groove means 58 to holdthe two portions in fixed and sealed relationship.

When the two portions are joined as described in fixed relationship, theannular flanges 43 and 45 are placed adjacent to each other. As shown inFIG. 2, these flanges 43 and 45 have a greater over-all diameter thanthe diameters of the different portions of the connector means 40, sothat flanges 43 and 45 will support portions 42 and 48 of the connectormeans 40 above any surrounding foreign surfaces when such portions 42and 48 are either connected or disconnected. Flanges 43 and 45 alsoprovide for greater maneuverability of the portions 42 and 48 withrespect to one another since hinge means 52 is attached to portions 42and 48 at the periphery of their respective flanges, in effect providinga longer length of hinge. Finally, flanges 43 and 45 also serve toprevent the inadvertent contamination of sensitive interior parts of theconnector means 40 while the interlocking portions 42 and 48 of theconnector means 40 are being handled in order to disconnect or connectthem.

In FIG. 3, the connector means 40 is shown as a free body in open ordisconnected position and the series of raised ribs 46 disposed aboutthe circumference of the frustoconical exterior shell 44 of the upstreamhollow socket portion 42 is seen in more detail. The raised ring means56 disposed about the outer circumference of the hollow plug end 49 ofthe downstream hollow adapter portion 48 is also pictured. On theopposite side of downstream flange 45 from plug end 49 is shown thecylindrical drainage inlet tube end 50.

In FIG. 4 is illustrated the interior detail of connector means 40. Thisview shows the similar configuration of hollow plug end 49 and theinterior of upstream hollow socket portion 42. In addition, a preferredconstruction of hinge means 52 is shown as consisting of separateflexible straps 59 and 60 attached at opposite ends to the peripheriesof downstream flange 45 and upstream flange 43.

In the operation of the closed irrigation and urinary drainage systemapparatus, the fluid is removed from the patient by the catheter 38having its distal balloon end inserted into the patient. The catheter 38is connected to the drainage inlet tube 26 by the hingedcatheterpconnector means 40 which transfers the fluid removed from thepatient in straight-line flow into drainage inlet tube 26. Drainageinlet tube 26 then transfers this fluid into medial drip chamber 28which dispenses it uniformly into distensible collection bag 12.Distensible collection bag 12 is transparent and contains volumetricindicators on its face so that the amount of fluid collected may bedetermined by observation. Outlet tube 16 permits emptying of the fluidstored in distensible collection bag 12 at any desired time.

In the operation described above, the urinary drainage system isconsidered closed because fluid is transferred directly from the patientinto the collection means without being exposed to any exteriorinfluences. To open the system, however, for purposes of irrigating,aspirating or sampling fluid, the system is broken into at the connectormeans 40 where the downstream hollow adapter portion 48 joins theupstream hollow socket portion 42. The two portions are simply pulledapart and downward toward the position of the hinge 52, unsnapping theraised ring means 56 from the depressed groove means 58, therebydisconnecting the two portions. The adapter portion 48 is then swingablyseparated from the hollow socket portion 42 until the two portions aremoved to a position such as that shown in FIG. 3. Any irrigation,aspiration or sampling procedures may then be performed through the openhollow socket portion 42 of connector means 40 which provides directaccess to the patient.

The connector means 40 may be constructed of any suitable material whichis impervious, corrosion-resistant, capable of being formed or molded asa unitary piece into the required configuration and slightly resilient,such as plastic.

The catheter connector means 40 makes possible the operation of a closedirrigation and urinary drainage system apparatus which may be opened atany desired time to permit irrigation and aspiration of the patient andsampling of discharged fluids and which, by the unique construction ofthe connector means, does not require total separation of the elementsof the drainage system following disconnection and, therefore,substantially reduces the danger to the patient frompossiblecontamination of the elements of the system and reduces the timerequired to perform such irrigation or sampling.

While the invention has been described in relation to a preferredembodiment thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatthe structural details are capable of wide variation without departingfrom the principles of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a drainage system of the type used for removing fluids from apatient, the combination comprising:

a conventional flexible tube catheter means having a distal end which isinsertable into the body of the patient and a proximal end;

a connector means joining said catheter means at its proximal end to adrainage inlet tube means with an upstream end and a downstreamdischarge end, said connector means having an upstream hollow socketportion insertable into said proximal end of said catheter means, and adownstream hollow adapter portion insertable into the upstream end ofsaid drainage inlet tube means, said socket portion and said adapterportion being attached in swingable relationship to each other by hingemeans, said hinge means allowing said adapter portion and said socketportion to be joined in sealed relationship so that fluids may beconducted from said catheter means through said connector means to saiddrainage inlet tube means, and said hinge means alternatively allowingsaid adapter portion and said socket portion to be separated, therebypermitting access to said system for irrigation and aspiration purposes;

a distensible collection bag for receiving and storing fluids removedfrom the patient connectable to said downstream discharge end of saiddrainage inlet tube means; and

an outlet tube means for emptying fluid stored in said collection bag.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said upstream hollow socketportion of said connector means is frustoconical in exteriorconfiguration having a series of circumferential ribs disposed on itssurface, said ribs being effective to hold said portion of saidconnector means in fixed, sealable relationship within said proximal endof said flexible tube catheter means.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said downstream hollow adapterportion of said connector means comprises a cylindrically-shaped endinsertable into and fixed to said upstream end of said drainage inlettube means, and an opposite plug end having an exterior configurationsimilar to the in error configuration of said upstream socket portion ofsaid connector means, though of slightly smaller dimension, said plugend being swung into said upstream hollow socket portion on said hingemeans and joined to said upstream hollow socket portion of saidconnector means by locking means, said locking means being effective tohold said adapter portion and said socket portion in fixed, sealedrelationship.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said locking means comprisesraised annular means disposed about the circumference of said plug endof said adapter portion, said annular means being fittable intodepressed groove means similarly disposed in corresponding positionabout the interior circumference of said upstream hollow socket portionof said connector means.

5. In a drainage system of the type used for removing fluids from apatient and including a conventional flexible tube catheter means havinga distal end and a proximal end and in communication through a drainageinlet tube means having an upstream end and a downstream end with adistensible collection bag means'for holding and containing the fluidsremoved from the patient and having an outlet tube means for emptyingsaid bag means, the improvement comprising, connector means joining saidcatheter means to said tube means in hinged relationship, therebypermitting temporary disengagement of said catheter means from saidinlet tube means, said connector means including an upstream hollowsocket portion insertable into the proximal end of said catheter means,and a downstream hollow adapter portion having a cylindrical endinsertable into the upstream opening of said drainage inlet tube meansand a plug end insertable into said upstream hollow socket portion ofsaid connector means, said hollow adapter portion and said hollow socketportion being swingably attached to one another by hinge means andhaving corresponding locking means disposed in each portion to preventrelative movement and leakage when joined together to form a closeddrainage system.

6. The connector means of claim 5 wherein the hollow upstream socketportion of said connector means includes an exterior shell offrusto-conical configuration having a series of raised ribs disposedcircumferentially about its surface, said ribs being effective tofixedly and sealably maintain said socket portion within the proximalend of said catheter means.

7. The connector means of claim 5 wherein said locking means includesraised annular means circumferentially disposed about said plug end ofsaid hollow adapter portion, said raised annular means correspond ing todepressed annular means disposed about the interior circumference ofsaid hollow socket portion, said raised annular means fitting into saiddepressed annular means to join said adapter portion and said socketportion in fixed, sealed relationship when said plug end is swingablyinserted into said hollow socket portion.

1. In a drainage system of the type used for removing fluids from apatient, the combination comprising: a conventional flexible tubecatheter means having a distal end which is insertable into the body ofthe patient and a proximal end; a connector means joining said cathetermeans at its proximal end to a drainage inlet tube means with anupstream end and a downstream discharge end, said connector means havingan upstream hollow socket portion insertable into said proximal end ofsaid catheter means, and a downstream hollow adapter portion insertableinto the upstream end of said drainage inlet tube means, said socketportion and said adapter portion being attached in swingablerelationship to each other by hinge means, said hinge means allowingsaid adapter portion and said socket portion to be joined in sealedrelationship so that fluids may be conducted from said catheter meansthrough said connector means to said drainage inlet tube means, and saidhinge means alternatively allowing said adapter portion and said socketportion to be separated, thereby permitting access to said system forirrigation and aspiration purposes; a distensible collection bag forreceiving and storing fluids removed from the patient connectable tosaid downstream discharge end of said drainage inlet tube means; and anoutlet tube means for emptying fluid stored in said collection bag. 2.The combination of claim 1 wherein said upstream hollow socket portionof said connector means is frustoconical in exterior configurationhaving a series of circumferential ribs disposed on its surface, saidribs being effective to hold said portion of said connector means infixed, sealable relationship within said proximal end of said flexibletube catheter means.
 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein saiddownstream hollow adapter portion of said connector means comprises acylindrically-shaped end insertable into and fixed to said upstream endof said drainage inlet tube means, and an opposite plug end having anexterior configuration similar to the interior configuration of saidupstream socket portion of said connector means, though of slightlysmaller dimension, said plug end being swung into said upstream hollowsocket portion on said hinge means and joined to said upstream hollowsocket portion of said connector means by locking means, said lockingmeans being effective to hold said adapter portion and said socketportion in fixed, sealed relationship.
 4. The combination of claim 3wherein said locking means comprises raised annular means disposed aboutthe circumference of said plug end of said adapter portion, said annularmeans being fittable into depressed groove means similarly disposed incorresponding position about the interior circumference of said upstreamhollow socket portion of said connector means.
 5. In a drainage systemof the type used for removing fluids from a patient and including aconventional flexible tube catheter means having a distal end and aproximal end and in communication through a drainage inlet tube meanshaving an upstream end and a downstream end with a distensiblecollection bag means for holding and containing the fluids removed fromthe patient and having an outlet tube means for emptying said bag means,the improvement comprising, connector means joining said catheter meansto said tube means in hinged relationship, thereby permitting temporarydisengagement of said catheter means from said inlet tube means, saidconnector means including an upstream hollow socket portion insertableinto the proximal end of said catheter means, and a downstream hollowadapter portion having a cylindrical end insertable into the upstreamopening of said drainage inlet tube means and a plug end insertable intosaid upstream hollow socket portion of said connector means, said hollowadapter portion and said hollow socket portion being swingably attachedto one another by hinge means and having corresponding locking meansdisposed in each portion to prevent relative movement and leakage whenjoined together to form a closed drainage system.
 6. The connector meansof claim 5 wherein the hollow upstream socket portion of said connectormeans includes an exterior shell of frusto-conical configuration havinga series of raised ribs disposed circumferentially about its surface,said ribs being effective to fixedly and sealably maintain said socketportion within the proximal end of said catheter means.
 7. The connectormeans of claim 5 wherein said locking means includes raised annularmeans circumferentially disposed about said plug end of said hollowadapter portion, said raised annular means corresponding to depressedannular means disposed about the interior circumference of said hollowsocket portion, said raised annular means fitting into said depressedannular means to join said adapter portion and said socket portion infixed, sealed relationship when said plug end is swingably inserted intosaid hollow socket portion.